Department for Transport

Bridges: Great Musgrave

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the £30,000 figure they provided for the cost of removing infill material at Great Musgrave Bridge remains accurate; whether this represents the total cost of the (1) removal, and (2) reinstatement; and if not, what is the total amount allocated to that project by National Highways.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Great Musgrave bridge forms part of the Historical Railways Estate (HRE) and is managed on behalf of the Department by National Highways.The high level estimations provided in August 2021 by National Highways for the removal of the infill at Great Musgrave bridge were based on the assumption that the removal would occur at the same time as works to reinstate a railway. In this scenario, contractors would already be on site, with all associated plant, machinery, welfare and safety and traffic management in place. If removal were to occur without contractors being in place for railway reinstatement, then the costs of all associated plant, machinery, welfare and safety and traffic management need to be added to the sum. Based on it being a one-off operation, in October 2021 estimates were shared with the HRE Stakeholder Advisory Forum that advised that the costs of removing the infill would be in the region of £80,000 to £90,000 which includes for the contractor to remove the infill and make good the ground.The difference between the two estimates relates to whether the work is done in isolation or is incorporated as part of a larger rail reinstatement scheme.Following the recent planning committee decision on the retrospective application to retain the infill at Great Musgrave, the cost of removing the infill, disposing of it off-site, undertaking repairs and strengthening works and subsequent assessment and examinations over a 60-year period has been estimated to be between £316,000 and £431,000 depending on the strengthening technique that is applied. These costs were discussed with the HRE Stakeholder Advisory Forum in October 2021.National Highways is working closely with the Eden District Council and Cumbria County Council to understand their aspirations for the structure and to agree appropriate works.

Railways: Agency Workers

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the possible impact of temporary agency staff replacing train drivers and signalling staff during rail strikes; when any such assessment was undertaken; and what the outcomes of any such assessment were.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The use of agency and temporary workers in the rail sector is not a new development. Where this happens, agency workers must of course be qualified and trained to safely and efficiently undertake the work in question. However, this development should mean agency workers can be used to support services during times of industrial action, which is good news for passengers and those who rely upon the railway.The Government and rail industry, including Network Rail, have worked together and continue to work together to ensure plans are in place to minimise disruption allowing for freight and passenger services to remain operational where possible. The Civil Contingencies Secretariat is also convening ministers daily during the strike period to assess operational response and impact.

Railways: Safety

Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that appropriate safety measures will not be compromised due to the minimum rail service legislation; and what steps they have taken to study the safety measures that have been implemented in (1) Belgium, and (2) France.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government and rail industry, including Network Rail, have worked together and continue to work together to ensure plans are in place to minimise disruption allowing for freight and passenger services to remain operational where possible. The Civil Contingencies Secretariat is also convening ministers daily during the strike period to assess operational response and impact.We are looking at everything we can do to help maintain services amid disruption and Minimum Service legislation is just one part of that. We are experienced in safely running very reduced train services - the industry is currently doing so right now. Minimum service levels are a government manifesto commitment to introduce legislation which would require train operators to run a base number of services in the event of strike action. We of course encourage employers and unions to reach agreement wherever possible.We will review any relevant comparable available evidence, including safety measures, in these countries and others, when developing any policy around the introduction of Minimum Service Levels.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Reservoirs

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the reservoir capacity in (1) England, and (2) each of the nations of the UK, as part of their plan to avert water shortages (a) this summer, and (b) in the years ahead.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Environment Agency monitors water levels across England. At the end of May, across the regions of England, reservoir water levels ranged from 78% of total capacity in north-west England to 94% in east England. Reservoir levels for England were at 85% of total capacity. Most reservoirs are in a normal position for the time of year. The Environment Agency’s National Framework for Water Resources, published in March 2020, sets out the strategic water needs for England, and all its regions and sectors, up to 2050 and beyond. The Framework sets out how we will reduce demand, halve leakage rates, develop new supply infrastructure such as reservoirs, move water to where it is needed, increase drought resilience of water supplies and reduce the need for drought measures that can harm the environment. In the autumn, water companies will publish their statutory draft water resources management plans that will outline how they will manage their water supplies in the future. Water policy is a devolved matter.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Ukraine: Armed Conflict

Lord Selkirk of Douglas: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of reports that more than 2,500 civilians have been abducted or forcibly removed from Ukraine by Russian forces.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We condemn Russian atrocities, including the alleged abduction and deportation of innocent Ukrainians. The UK has supported multilateral mechanisms to assess the situation in Ukraine, including the OSCE's Moscow Mechanism report, which found multiple instances of clear violations of international law by Russian forces in Ukraine. The Attorney General also led a scoping mission to the region from 8-11 May, to assess how the UK can help the Ukrainian Prosecutor General to identify and collect evidence of atrocity crimes. Alongside international partners, the UK is committed to assisting Ukraine's domestic investigation into war crimes, in addition to the International Criminal Court investigation. We also continue to hold the Russian Government to account. On 16 June, the UK announced a new wave of sanctions including against the Russian Children's Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova for her alleged involvement in the forced transfer and adoption of Ukrainian children.

Abduljalil al-Singace

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) on 22 February (122816), what plans they have, if any, to respond to a letter by 27 human rights organisations on 17 January which called on them to help resolve the case of Dr Abduljalil Alsingrace who is detained in Bahrain.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Our apologies for the delay in responding to the letter in question, this was due to an administrative error. A response was issued on 22 June.

Developing Countries: Food Supply

Lord Selkirk of Douglas: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the effect on the (1) level of debt of, and (2) potential loss of life in, developing countries of global food shortages and increasing food prices, as a result of the war in Ukraine.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Before Russia's invasion, almost 1 billion people in 92 countries did not have enough food to eat and 55 countries, mostly in Africa and Asia, were already in acute hunger crises, emergency or famine conditions. This has now risen to at least 1.7 billion with 49 million people already living a step away from famine (up from 25 million in 2020), and almost 860,000 people estimated to be in famine-like conditions.Steep increases in the price of staple commodities and agriculture inputs were already apparent before the war. Russia's aggression has further exacerbated these spikes - according to the World Food Programme the price of a food basket in Ethiopia has risen 66 percent, and in Somalia 36 percent. Higher import costs of fuel and food are exacerbating the fragile debt status of many countries particularly in Africa.

Treasury

Inflation: Young People

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have tointroduce additional measures aimed at helping young people deal with inflationary pressures.

Baroness Penn: The government understands that millions of people across the UK, of all ages, are worried about the rising cost of living.From 1 April 2022, the National Minimum Wage for people aged 21-22 increased by 9.8% to £9.18 an hour and the Apprentice Rate increased by 11.9% to £4.81 an hour. On 26 May 2022, the government announced over £15 billion of additional support for households, targeted particularly on those with the greatest need, bringing total government support for the cost of living to over £37 billion this year. Young people may be able to benefit from the additional support the government is providing, including:• £400 off household energy bills from October through an expansion of the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS);• a one-off Cost of Living Payment of £650 for households on means-tested benefits; and an additional one-off disability Cost of Living Payment of £150 for disabled people;• an extra £500 million of local support, via the Household Support Fund, for those in need of additional support

Debts: Developing Countries

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce legislation to limit the ability of private creditorsto sue low-income countriesindebted to them in the English Courts.

Baroness Penn: The Government is fully focused on ensuring that the private sector provides debt relief for low-income countries where this is required as part of an internationally agreed debt treatment. For example, under the Common Framework for Debt Treatments beyond the Debt Service Suspension Initiative, private sector participation on at least as favourable terms as bilateral creditors is a fundamental principle. The G20, including the UK, has repeatedly emphasised the importance of this principle. The Government does not currently have any intention to pursue a legislative approach that would force private lenders to participate in debt relief initiatives. Any legislative approach would need to address a number of challenges. For example, legislating may increase the cost of finance for low-income countries or reduce the availability of finance to meet wider development goals.